Diversified Expands Media, Event Groups With Two Acquisitions

Diversified Communication’s president and CEO Nancy Hasselback may have announced last week that she will retire in June, but she’s not exiting the company without adding to its growth: The company announced Thursday that it has acquired two new businesses in the print, e-media, marketing services and exhibition industries.

The assets added to the Diversified family include the Institute of Finance and Management, a resource of information and tools in the corporate financial management, accounts payable, credit, receivables & collections and corporate recruiting and security industries; and the UK-based Intelligent Exhibitions Limited, which includes events focused on ocean technology and light detection and ranging (LiDAR).

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“These are strategic acquisitions that expand our reach into the business service, ocean technology and 3D data capture and imaging technology businesses,” Hasselback says in a release.

The Institute of Finance and Management business produces The Accounts Payable Conference & Expo and publishes industry resources like the Controller’s Report, Managing Accounts Payable and Recruiting trends. Diversified will operate these products from its division located in Portland, ME.

Intelligent Exhibitions, an expo and conference organizer specializing in technology and marine events, owns Ocean Business, which is currently underway and attracts more than 4,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors biannually. This event will remain under its existing leadership, which is based out of Gloucestershire, England and will continue to be lead by its managing director, Versha Carter.

Diversified has several marine shows under its U.S. purview, but none in Europe.

Also included in the acquisition are Offshore Survey, Ocean Careers—both collocate with Ocean Business—and LiDAR International and LiDAR Europe. The LiDAR properties will be added to Diversified’s 3D data capture and imaging technology group based in the United States.